Iran tells Gulf states not to buy 'ineffective' US missiles

TEHRAN - A senior Iranian military official told Gulf states on Thursday not to squander money on US missiles, adding that Iran can render them useless, the state news agency IRNA reported.

Tehran had on Wednesday slammed plans by the United States to beef up its military in the Gulf.

"Installing anti-missile Patriot missiles is a new trick to empty the pockets of rich Persian Gulf countries," said General Hassan Firuzabadi, the joint chief of staff of Iran's armed forces.

"Patriot missiles can be rendered ineffective by simple tactics, and I advise the regional countries, especially Muslim states, not to waste their money on these missiles which have not worked anywhere," he said.

US President Barack Obama's administration is reportedly placing ships with missile-targeting capabilities off Iran's coast, and anti-missile systems in at least four Gulf states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

US ally Bahrain acknowledged on Wednesday that Gulf military defences were being upgraded but urged Iran not to see them as plans for attack.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards official also said on Wednesday that Iran had developed anti-armor weapons which can combat US Apache helicopters and armored tanks.

"The enemy should not think their Apache helicopters can have the same power that they have in Iraq and Afghanistan in Iran," Naser Arab-beigi, who heads the self-sufficiency organization of the Revolutionary Guards, told Fars news agency.

"We will end Apache power by our measures. Their armored tanks will be met with the firm response of our weapons," he said.

The only thing that can protect Israel is peace, Syrian president says

February 5, 2010

Manama: Syrian President Bashar Assad said people currently in charge of Israel paled in comparison with older generation leaders and behaved like children, messing with the country, the New Yorker has reported.

"You need a special dictionary for their terms ... They do not have any of the old generation who used to know what politics means, like Rabin and the others," Assad told investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. "That is why I said they are like children fighting each other, messing with the country; they do not know what to do."

According to a report published on Wednesday, Assad said during a discussion with Hersh that "the only thing that can protect Israel is peace, nothing else. No amount of airplanes or weapons could protect Israel, so they have to forget about that."

"The Israelis wanted to destroy Hamas in the war [in December, 2008] and make Abu Mazen strong in the West Bank ... They weakened Abu Mazen and made Hamas stronger. Now they wanted to destroy Hamas. But what is the substitute for Hamas? It is Al Qaeda, and they do not have a leader to talk to, to talk about anything. They are not ready to make dialogue. They [Al Qaeda] only want to die in the field."

Assad stressed that a solution must be found for Palestinian refugees living in Syria.

"I have half a million Palestinians and they have been living here for three generations now. So, if you do not find a solution for them, then what peace are you talking about?" he asked.

"What is the difference between peace and a peace treaty? Peace treaty is what you sign, but peace is when you have normal relations," Assad continued. "So, you start with a peace treaty in order to achieve peace... If they say you can have the entire Golan back, we will have a peace treaty. But they cannot expect me to give them the peace they expect... You start with the land; you do not start with peace."

Assad reportedly told the magazine that he has not received a clear vision from the US about what should happen in the Middle East.

"To be biased and side with the Israelis, this is traditional for the United States; we do not expect them to be in the middle soon. So we can deal with this issue, and we can find a way if you want to talk about the peace process," he said. "But the vision does not seem to be clear on the US side as to what they really want to happen in the Middle East."

The Syrian president said that he was "maybe optimistic" about President Barack Obama, but that did not mean he was optimistic about "other institutions that play negative or paralyzing role[s] to Obama."

"If you talk about four years, you have one year to learn and the last year to work for the next elections. So, you only have two years," he said. "The problem, with these complicated problems around the world, where the United States should play a role to find a solution, is that two years is a very short time... Is it enough for somebody like Obama?"

UAE Plans to Phaseout Plastics by 2013

4 February 2010,

The United Arab Emirates will be free of non-biodegradable plastic bags and products by 2013, Obaid Al Matroushi, Director-General of the Ministry of Environment and Water, said.

Speaking on Ajman Radio 4 on the occasion of National Environment Day, Al Matroushi said the ministry would launch a month-long awareness drive across the country among  students, farmers, fishermen and the general public on the dangers of non-biodegradable plastic.

He said the ministry had drafted a standards guide on bio-degradable plastics and their harmful effects on the environment. The items covered by these standards are essentially, but not limited to, flexible shopping bags and semi-rigid plastic packaging for food, magazines, consumer-durables, garbage bags, bin-liners for household use, shrink wrap, pellet wrap, cling film etc and other articles normally used over short periods and subsequently discarded. Al Matroushi said that according to a recent report, one in two camels die from ingesting plastic waste dumped in the UAE desert.

Ajman will be the first emirate to ban plastic bags from July 1, 2010. Speaking to Khaleej Times, Khalid Al Hosani, Director of Health and Environment Section at the Ajman Municipality, said all plastic bag importers were urged to contact the municipality to re-register and provide data of their companies which would be included in the records. They must get written approval before importing any type of plastic bags.

The municipality would only allow oxo-biodegradable plastic bags meeting ministry’s standards, he said.

There are 48 plastic manufacturers in the UAE, who have been informed about the decision and were provided with the UAE standards guide.

Hypermarkets like Lulu and Carrefour have already reportedly stopped using non-biodegradable bags and are replacing them with alternative, bags made with “oxo-biodegradable” plastic that break down into non-poisonous materials in less than a year.

A top official at the MEW said that specifications for the additives to be used in the new plastic mixture was expected to be laid down by the end of year. “Plastic manufacturers must then comply with the specification, in line with the ministry’s nationwide drive to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags by 2013, for the protection of the environment.’’

In Sharjah, a senior official at the Economic Development Department said the standards on bio-degradable plastics were being implemented from January 1 this year.                

Dubai oil find to support growth

February 5, 2010

Dubai A new oil discovery could significantly boost Dubai's hydrocarbon output and help it achieve speedy growth next year when production starts.

The Dubai Government yesterday announced the discovery of the new offshore oil field, east of the existing Rashid crude oil field. The volume of the new field has yet to be assessed.

The new deposits would "strengthen the economic capabilities of the country and increase oil production," His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai said in a statement.

The oil field will reinforce infrastructure and production in Dubai and "give a strong impetus to all sectors of the local economy and provide a new source of income, enhancing the overall development of Dubai," he added.

Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Department of Oil Affairs and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Energy, will head the development of the new marine oil field.

Exploration

He has been asked to "undertake all acts of exploration and prospecting of the field discovered," according to the statement.

He will also be involved in conducting necessary research to ascertain the size of the crude oil deposit and the production capacity in the short and long-term.

Shaikh Mohammad asked him to assess the economic benefits of the field "as soon as possible" during a meeting with dignitaries and ministers ahead of a Council of Ministers gathering at Qasr Al Sarab desert resort near Liwa.

Promising capacity

The Arabic daily Al Bayan quoted sources yesterday as saying the new oil field is "promising" in terms of production capacity.

The timely discovery will boost the economy of Dubai, as it deals with maturing debts in the coming months related to Dubai World.

At present, oil contributes less than 5 per cent to Dubai's $54 billion (Dh198 billion) GDP.

Crude oil production in the UAE reached 2.28 million barrels per day in December. Dubai's share is small.

Gaddafi receives President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt

Sirte: Libyan leader received Wednesday President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, upon his arrival to Great Jamahiriya.

Gaddafi and President Mubarak held a meeting as part of the continuous coordination and consultation between them on issues of common concern.

During the meeting, they reviewed the outcome of 14th session of African Union summit and the union's march, where they emphasized the completion of the establishment of the union authority to promote the continent's unitary march.

They also reviewed ongoing arrangements and preparations for the forthcoming summit, due to hosted by Great Jamahiriya, in addition to developments in the Arab situation, particularly the Palestinian cause.

As Egypt currently presides the Non-Aligned Movement, they underlined the importance that the movement assumes a strategic role in international issues, especially those presented by the leader in his speech at the UN General Assembly.

The leader and President Mubarak continued discussions over a luncheon hosted by the leader in honor of President Mubarak.

Present in the luncheon were the Secretary of the General People's Committee, Egyptian Foreign and Information Ministers and President Mubarak's accompanying delegation.

The leader singled President Mubarak by biding him farewell at Maitega international airport as he left Great Jamahiriya.

/ JANA /

GCC approves Oman’s healthcare proposal

 Focus on e-services in the sector

 Benefits of modern technology

 Steps to contain H1N1 reviewed

ABU DHABI — The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Health Ministerial Council has approved model guidelines for primary healthcare presented by the Sultanate. The ministers, at a meeting which concluded here yesterday, decided to adopt the model procedures after making necessary amendments to the proposal with the hope of applying the procedures in all the GCC countries.

Dr Ali bin Mohammed bin Moosa, Minister of Health, led the Sultanate’s delegation to the 68th GCC Health Ministers Conference which convened here over two days under the theme ‘E-services in health sector.’ The UAE Minister of Health Dr Hanif Hassan who chaired the conference said that the ministers explored a variety of challenges facing the health sector in the GCC countries.

He said that this year’s conference adopted the implementation of electronic communication initiative with a view to bringing benefits of modern technology to all. The conference agenda focused on H1N1 (swine flu) epidemic which triggered joint Gulf efforts that clearly contained the disease and largely prevented its spread in the region.